Iowa Lottery Scammer to Take Plea Deal in Wisconsin Case

Iowa Lottery Scammer to Take Plea Deal in Wisconsin Case

Eddie Tipton. (WHO-HD)

MADISON, Wisconsin – An Iowa man convicted of defrauding the Iowa Lottery after he tampered with the computer used to pick the winning numbers for a jackpot, is set to take a plea deal after facing similar charges in Wisconsin.

Eddie Tipton was convicted of two counts of fraud in 2010, related to tampering of a computer used to pick the winning numbers for a Hot Lotto jackpot. Officials say while he was the Information Security Director for the Multi-State Lottery Association, Tipton tampered with the computers that are designed to randomly choose the winning jackpot numbers. His crime came to light following an investigation into a winning Hot Lotto ticket for a 2010 $16 million jackpot. Tipton bought the ticket and tried to claim it through several avenues, while remaining anonymous. The jackpot wasn’t able to be claimed before the deadline expired.

After Tipton’s conviction his attorney expected him to get probation. Instead, the judge gave him five years in prison. One of Tipton’s fraud convictions has been dismissed by the Iowa Court of Appeals.

Tipton, his brother Tommy Tipton, and other associates have been charged as part of a criminal network that’s alleged to have won fixed lottery jackpots in Colorado, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas and Wisconsin.

He was charged in the Wisconsin case in 2016 and faces felony charges of racketeering, theft-false representation, and four charges of computer crime-modify data. A plea hearing is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Monday in Dane County Court. Tipton is expected to be sentenced during the hearing. Details of the plea deal have not yet been released.

Tipton is also awaiting a second trial for charges of money laundering and ongoing criminal conduct in Iowa.